Mayan Vessel with a Palace Scene in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, May 2018

Vessel with Palace Scene,A.D. 600–800


Date: A.D. 600–800

Geography: Guatemala

Culture: Maya

Medium: Ceramic, pigment

Dimensions: H. 11 1/4 × Diam. 6 in. (28.5 × 15.2 cm)

Classification: Sculpture-Vessels

Credit Line: Denver Art Museum Collection: Funds from various donors, Volunteer Endowment Fund, and department acquisition funds (2003.1)

Accession Number: L.2018.23.3


This palace scene reveals the diversity of materials valued by Maya rulers. The king, named in the inscriptions as Naah Ha’nal K’inich from Río Azul, sits in the company of six men, two royal ladies, and an attendant of small stature. He holds a bouquet of flowers to his face; in front of him is a tall vessel with a conical lid, intended for chocolate, along with a pyrite or obsidian mirror. The king gestures to one of the nobles, possibly acknowledging the receipt of three bags of beans, two woven fans, and stacks of white cotton cloth, all considered valuable tribute.


Text from: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/722087